According to local police, a US soldier with dual US and Kenyan citizenship was arrested after being found in possession of four military grenades in Tarime-Rorya on Sunday afternoon.
Officers stationed at the Tanzania–Kenya border in Sirari arrested Charles Onkuri Ongeta, 30, who was allegedly found carrying four CS M68 hand-launched grenades.
According to the police statement, Onkuri was detained shortly after entering Tanzania from Kenya in a Toyota Land Cruiser with registration number KDP 502 Y.
Authorities further noted that, under Tanzania’s firearms laws, he would not have been eligible to bring such weapons into the country even if he had sought a permit.
“Evidence is still being gathered alongside ongoing questioning regarding these allegations, so that appropriate legal action may be taken against him,” the police statement read.
“A dual citizen of the United States and Kenya, a United States Army Soldier, holding the rank of Sergeant with four CS M68 hand grenades, coming from Kenya to enter Tanzania using a Toyota Land Cruiser,” part of the statement read.
The arrest comes amidst heightened security concerns in Tanzania that escalated in the run-up to its general elections conducted on October 29.
Following a whopping 98 per cent win for President Samia Suluhu, tempers flared as Tanzanians took to the streets to demonstrate against the elections. The two top opposition leaders in the country had been disqualified from running for the presidency.
According to human rights defenders, what followed was the killing of hundreds of Tanzanians and foreigners caught in the mix, including a Kenyan teacher, John Ogutu, who had been working in Tanzania for eight years.
Nairobi has since confirmed that the bodies of Ogutu and one more Kenyan remain unaccounted for in the aftermath of the post-election violence in Tanzania.
Others were also arrested in droves, leading a section of Tanzanian nationals to stop trusting the communications from police officers, even disputing the latest arrest of the Kenyan-US national.
